Morganabrams0507
Constructing a rational electrode structure for supercapacitors is critical to accelerate the electrochemical kinetics process and thus promote the capacitance. Focusing on the flexible supercapacitor electrode, we synthesized a three-dimensional (3D) porous polypyrrole (PPy) film using a modified vapor phase polymerization method with the use of a porous template (CaCO3). The porous design provided the PPy film with an improved surface area and pore volume. The porous PPy film electrode was studied as a binder-free electrode for supercapacitors. It was found that the abundant interpenetrated pores created by the CaCO3 templates within the 3D framework are beneficial to overcoming the diffusion-controlled limit in the overall electrochemical process. It was revealed by electrochemical investigation that a more pseudocapacitive contribution than diffusion-controlled process contribution was observed in the total charge in the redox reaction. The galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) measurements showed that thend the synthesis of flexible and wearable film electrodes with high performance.Lithium-metal batteries are promising candidates for the next-generation energy storage devices. However, notorious dendrite growth and an unstable interface between Li and electrolytes severely hamper the practical implantation of Li-metal anodes. Here, a robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer with flexible organic components on the top and plentiful LiF together with lithiophilic Zn nanoparticles on the bottom is constructed on Li metal based on the spray quenching method. The fluorinated interface layer exhibits remarkable stability to shield Li from the aggressive electrolyte and restrain dendrite growth. Accordingly, the modified Li electrode delivers a stable cycling for over 400 cycles at 3 mA cm-2 in symmetric cells. An improved capacity retention is also achieved in a full cell with a LiFePO4 cathode. This novel design of the artificial SEI layer offers rational guidance for the further development of high-energy-density lithium-metal batteries.A fundamental challenge, particularly, in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) analysis is the detection of analytes that are distant from the sensing surface. To tackle this challenge, we herein report a long-range SERS (LR-SERS) substrate supporting an extension of electric field afforded by long-range surface plasmon resonance (LRSPR) excited in symmetrical dielectric environments. The LR-SERS substrate has a sandwich configuration with a triangle-shaped gold nanohole array embedded between two dielectrics with similar refractive indices (i.e., MgF2 and water). The finite-difference time-domain simulation was applied to guide the design of the LR-SERS substrate, which was engineered to have a wavelength-matched LRSPR with 785 nm excitation. The simulations predict that the LR-SERS substrate exhibits great SERS enhancement at distances of more than 10 nm beyond its top surface, and the enhancement factor (EF) has been improved by three orders of magnitude on LR-SERS substrates compared to that on conventional substrates. The experimental results show good agreement with the simulations, an EF of 4.1 × 105 remains available at 22 nm above the LR-SERS substrate surface. The LR-SERS substrate was further applied as a sensing platform to detect microRNA (miRNA) let-7a coupled with a hybridization chain reaction (HCR) strategy. The developed sensor displays a wide linear range from 10 aM to 1 nM and an ultralow detection limit of 8.5 aM, making it the most sensitive among the current detection strategies for miRNAs based on the SERS-HCR combination to the best of our knowledge.We introduce a flame-based aerosol process for producing supported non-noble metal nanocatalysts from inexpensive aqueous metal salt solutions, using catalysts for the dry reforming of methane (DRM) as a prototype. A flame-synthesized nickel-doped magnesia (MgO) nanocatalyst (NiMgO-F) was fully physicochemically characterized and tested in a flow reactor system, where it showed stable DRM activity from 500 to 800 °C. A kinetic study was conducted, and apparent activation energies were extracted for the temperature range of 500-650 °C. It was then compared with a Ni-decorated MgO nanopowder prepared by wet impregnation of (1) flame-synthesized MgO (NiMgO-FI) and (2) a commercial MgO nanopowder (NiMgO-CI) and with (3) a NiMgO catalyst prepared by co-precipitation (NiMgO-CP). NiMgO-F showed the highest catalytic activity per mass and per metallic surface area and was stable for continuous H2 production at 700 °C for 50 h. Incorporation of potential promoters and co-catalysts was also demonstrated, but none showed significant performance improvement. More broadly, nanomaterials produced by this approach could be used as binary or multicomponent catalysts for numerous catalytic processes.Interfacial solar evaporation (ISE) is an environmentally friendly and promising water treatment strategy. However, the bactericidal performance of an ISE system during the evaporation process is usually ignored, which may result in potential water safety hazards. In this study, a facile method is presented for the controllable synthesis of Ag quantum dots (QDs)/rGO to simultaneously achieve efficient solar evaporation and evaporated water disinfection. The size of the Ag nanoparticles (NPs) rather than the loading amount is the factor that considerably affects the solar evaporation efficiency and the bactericidal performance. Under 1 sun of irradiation (1 kW·m2), the evaporation rate and solar evaporation efficiency of Ag QDs/rGO are as high as 2.11 kg·m2·h-1 and 94.0%, respectively. Based on E. AZD0156 coli and S. aureus, the bactericidal activity of Ag QDs/rGO in the evaporation process is qualitatively and quantitatively characterized; no bacteria could be detected in the evaporated water. Furthermore, various water samples, including acidic water, alkaline water, dye water, and seawater, are selected to verify the solar evaporation performance of Ag QDs/rGO. When considering complex water samples, the as-prepared material maintains a high evaporation efficiency and an excellent purification effect, indicating attractive potential for various practical applications.